Blood On His Hands
by Heavenly Pearl
Summary: Yuri Killian believed he was willing to do anything in order to exact his revenge on Kalos, but when his latest scheme ends with tragic consequences, he falls into a downward spiral. Set pre-series. Spoilers for the second season. Yuri/Sophie, Yuri/Layla
1. Chapter One Setting The Plan Into Motion

Blood On His Hands

Chapter One: Setting The Plan Into Motion

Paris.

It was known as the "City of Light," but Yuri would have to wait until later that night to see the city in all its illuminated glory, for he and his trapeze partner Layla had arrived in the early afternoon. Though their manager had suggested they sleep off their jet lag at the hotel, they decided to head straight to the site of the International Circus Festival from the airport. Layla wanted to practice their routine, and Yuri had very little say in the matter. Whatever Layla wanted, she tended to get, so he held back his yawns as best he could, coffee in hand as they rode in the taxi to the arena.

"How about checking out the competition before practice?" Yuri suggested after they had finished registering.

"You mean 'spy' on the competition? I don't think so," she replied, blue eyes peering at him over the rims of her stylish sunglasses. "It's not my style."

"It doesn't hurt to know what we're up against."

"I'm confident that our Golden Phoenix is good enough to beat any maneuver. All we have to do is focus on performing it perfectly, and we will win."

"Maybe so, but I'm still interested in what the other pairs are doing."

Layla shrugged. "Suit yourself. _I'm_ going to start practicing," she said, walking off.

On his own, Yuri began a tour of the practice rooms, which were available for contestants to use to train. As Layla suspected, none of the other teams posed any real threat to them. Layla was the undisputed best in the world, and nobody else could touch her. Winning the competition would only confirm what everybody already knew. Yuri decided to check out one last team before joining Layla at practice.

The pair was one Yuri had never seen before. Most likely they were newcomers to the competition, and it showed. Watching them, Yuri wasn't very impressed by their act. The maneuver wasn't flashy in the least - almost bordering on the comically simple - and the girl couldn't even seem to hold the final pose correctly. The two of them looked like total amateurs, yet the man had to have extraordinary strength in order to push his partner straight up in the air like that. Though the maneuver looked simple to an untrained eye, he could tell it was actually quite difficult to pull off.

Yuri frowned. With a better partner, the man had the potential to become an incredible trapeze artist - perhaps even surpassing Yuri himself. If Kalos became aware of such a talent, he might be tempted to ask the man to join Kaleido Stage and replace Yuri as Layla's partner. That couldn't happen. Not yet. Yuri was only beginning to put his long-planned revenge against Kalos into action. He couldn't afford to lose his spot as the number one male star at Kaleido Stage.

"Yuri? Yuri Killian?"

The French-accented voice startled Yuri from his thoughts. Though he had done his best to remain hidden from the pair, watching them through a small crack in the door, it appeared his presence had been discovered. The female member of the pair ran over.

"It is you!" she exclaimed in English, opening the door. Rather than being angry at Yuri for spying on her and her partner, she seemed excited to meet him. She turned back to the man on the trapeze and yelled, "Leon, come over here."

"Excuse me, but have we met before?" Yuri asked politely.

The girl shook her head. "No, but I am a big fan of yours, Monsieur Killian. I've seen videos of your shows on the Internet. You were wonderful!"

Yuri smiled at the compliment. Even if she was technically competition, it was always nice to meet a fan. "Thank you."

Her partner Leon, having climbed down from the trapeze, joined them. He was not as friendly as the girl. Gray eyes narrowed with suspicion at Yuri. "Who are you, and why were you spying on us?" he demanded to know, arms crossed over his chest.

"Leon, don't be so rude! This is Yuri Killian from Kaleido Stage. He's Layla Hamilton's partner," she said. Turning back to Yuri, she apologized. "Please forgive my brother's rudeness."

"No, I'm the one who should apologize," Yuri said, turning on his well-practiced charm. "I didn't man to interrupt you practice, Mademoiselle…"

"Oswald. I'm Sophie Oswald." She extended out her hand. "It's very nice to meet you."

Instead of a handshake, Yuri kissed the back of her hand. "The pleasure is all mine, Sophie."

Sophie giggled and blushed. Girls like her were so easy to flatter. A few compliments and pretty words tossed their way, and they were his for the taking. Leon, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to punch Yuri in the face.

Yuri held out his hand to him. "And you are?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Leon took the offered hand. Yuri could sense just how strong he was by the firmness of his grip. "Leon Oswald, Sophie's brother."

"Nice to meet you, Leon."

Releasing Yuri's hand, Leon remarked, "I'm sorry I can't say the same about you, Monsieur Killian."

"Leon!" Sophie exclaimed. "Quit it, you're embarrassing me in front of Yuri."

"We don't have the time nor the luxury to be making friends right now, Sophie. We only have a short time to perfect the Angel's Maneuver before the competition begins."

"The Angel's Maneuver?" Yuri repeated. "Is that what that move is called."

"Yes!" Sophie clasped her hands over her heart, her face beaming. "The Angel's Maneuver is the way to becoming a true star. We hope to be able to awaken the Angel Hearts in every person who sees it."

"Really?" Yuri struggled hard not to laugh, hiding his mouth behind his hand under the guise of a cough. A trapeze maneuver that awakened something called an Angel Heart? He had never heard anything so ridiculous in his entire life! It sounded like something out of a fairy tale.

Even Leon seemed embarrassed by her childish words. "Sophie, what we hope to do is win the competition, but that won't happen unless you learn to hold that final pose. Now bid your farewell to Monsieur Killian, and let's get back to work." He pivoted on his heel and headed back to the trapeze without even a word of goodbye to Yuri.

"He's a bit of a slave-driver, isn't he?" Yuri commented once Leon was out of earshot.

"No, it's not like that," Sophie said, shaking her head. "Actually, I was the one who asked him to be harsher toward me in training. He was against it, but I insisted because I wanted to perfect the Angel's Maneuver for the festival. Though he may seem gruff when you first meet him, Leon really is a kind and gentle person underneath it all."

"I'll take your word for it." He looked over at Leon. As if trying to show off in front of Yuri, Leon jumped from one trapeze to the other, performing a series of complicated acrobatic spins and twists that even Yuri was unsure he could replicate. Yes, Leon Oswald would definitely be a threat if he didn't do something about it. "Look, I better go," Yuri said, glancing back over at Sophie. "Layla is waiting for me."

"Sophie!" Leon yelled from the trapeze.

"I'm coming!" she shouted back. Sophie smiled at Yuri, twisting a strand of her long white-blonde hair around her finger. "It really was wonderful meeting you. I hope we can see each other again."

After stealing another look at Leon to make sure he was watching, Yuri brought his mouth next to Sophie's ear and whispered, "I'll be looking forward to it."

Her cheeks flushed a bright pink, Sophie rushed off to join Leon on the trapeze. Yuri waved to a furious-looking Leon before leaving, a smirk dancing on his lips. He rather enjoyed messing with Leon's head, he had to admit.

But it would take more than flirting with his little sister to distract Leon from the competition. As he searched for Layla, Yuri thought about what he could do to get rid of the threat that Leon posed to his revenge. It wouldn't be easy. From their short meeting, Yuri could tell that Leon wasn't the type to be fooled easily. Leon was too sharp and paranoid; he would see through any scheme Yuri tried against him.

Sophie, on the other hand… Leon's sister could prove to be useful to him. Sophie seemed to be quite naïve and idealistic, and she obviously had a bit of a crush on him. He might be able to use that to his advantage. Though Sophie wasn't Yuri's normal type at all, it wouldn't be difficult to fool her into believing he was actually interested in her. And then…

A plan began to form in the back of his mind as he finally found the practice room Layla had reserved for them. "Finished playing spy games, Yuri?" Layla asked the moment he entered the room.

Yuri glanced up at his partner on the trapeze. "As you suspected, there's nobody here who can touch our Golden Phoenix. Winning the competition will be a walk in the park."

"I told you we had nothing to worry about," she said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Now, let's get to work. Even if we don't have any major competitors, I won't settle for less than perfection."

* * *

><p>The next day, Yuri decided to put his plan into action. As he and Layla were on their way to the practice stage, he kept an eye out for the sibling pair, spotting them near a water fountain where Sophie was getting a drink. Yuri waved and called out to them.<p>

"Sophie! Leon!"

At the sound of her name, Sophie straightened up and turned around. "Yuri!" Grabbing Leon's hand, she dragged him with her over to Yuri and Layla. "_Bonjour! _I was hoping to run into you before practice."

Layla raised an eyebrow at Yuri. "Yuri, who are these people? Friends of yours?"

"I suppose you could say that," he said, noting how Leon seemed to bristle at the idea that the two of them were anything other than enemies. Yuri wasn't exactly thrilled with the label either, but if he wanted to get anywhere with Sophie, he had to at least make a show of being friendly toward her brother. "Layla, I'd like you to meet Sophie and Leon Oswald. They're in the trapeze competition as well."

"It is an honor to meet you, Mademoiselle Hamilton," Sophie said, star-struck. "I was just telling my brother what a huge fan I am of you and Yuri."

"Thank you, although I can't help but suspect you are far more a fan of Yuri's than you are of mine," Layla said with a knowing smile.

Sophie's cheeks burned a faint pink, while Leon rolled his eyes in exasperation and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Sophie, we should be going. It's time for practice."

"Just a minute, Leon. I want to talk a little longer with Yuri…and Layla," Sophie said, adding Layla's name at the last moment in a useless attempt to hide her true objective.

Leon eyed Yuri with barely-disguised distrust before turning to leave. "I'm going ahead to the practice room. Don't take too long."

He walked away without saying good-bye.

"Actually, we should probably get to work, too, Yuri," Layla said, checking her watch after Leon had left.

"Give me five minutes."

"Five minutes," she agreed. Layla nodded to Sophie in acknowledgement. "Nice to meet you, Sophie. Good luck in the competition," she said before leaving as well.

"Wow, Layla Hamilton - she's even prettier in person," Sophie declared, watching Layla walk away. "So cool and elegant…"

Finally alone, Yuri could begin his seduction in earnest. "Yes, Layla is very beautiful," he said, moving to cup Sophie's chin in his hand, "but she doesn't hold a candle to you."

Sophie bashfully brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "So she's not your girlfriend?"

Shaking his head, Yuri released her chin and leaned up against the wall behind Sophie, his hand placed to the side of her head. "No, I regret to admit I'm single at the moment. You?"

"N-No, I'm not seeing anyone."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"You are?" Her voice had a bit of a breathless quality to it, indicating to Yuri that his charm was already working its magic on her.

He almost wished Sophie was more of a challenge. Yuri had no attraction to dull, air-headed girls like her, but he reminded himself that this was all apart of a larger plan. "What are you doing tonight?" Yuri asked, staring straight down into Sophie's pale eyes.

Sophie glanced away, her face flushed. "Nothing special. Leon wants us to rest and relax the night before the competition."

"Do you think your guard dog would mind if I took you out on the town?"

She looked back up at him, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. "Like a date?"

Yuri cocked a smile. "Yes, like a date."

"I'd like that," Sophie said.

"Leon won't mind?"

"Leon doesn't own me. I can go out with whomever I please."

_So she's not a total doormat after all, _Yuri thought, a little impressed by her spunk. His opinion of Sophie went up a notch. "Then I'll pick you up at seven-thirty. What's your room number?"

"Oh, we're not staying at the hotel. Since we live here in Paris, we're staying at our apartment. Um…" Sophie turned around and tore the corner off one of the flyers advertising the International Circus Festival that was hanging on the wall behind her. "Do you have a pen?"

"I believe so…" Yuri pulled one out of his gym bag and handed it to her. He had gotten in the habit of always carrying a pen around in case somebody asked for his autograph.

"_Merci_." Sophie pressed the paper up against the wall and jotted down her address. "Here's where we live," she said, handing him back the pen and the piece of paper. "It shouldn't be too hard to find."

"Great. I'll see you tonight, then."

Yuri grinned and turned to leave, but he pivoted back around and placed the pen behind Sophie's ear. "You can keep that," he told her, lightly caressing her cheek as he moved his hand away. "_Au revoir_, Sophie."

He didn't have to look back to know that Sophie was watching him as he walked away. Really, it was almost embarrassing how easy that girl had been to win over. Sophie obviously had very little experience dealing with the opposite sex, but Yuri supposed he should consider it a blessing. After all, the competition was tomorrow. He didn't have the luxury to mount a slow seduction.

Yuri caught up with Layla, who was doing her stretches, in the practice room. She looked up when he came in.

"Pretty girl," Layla said as Yuri set down his bag and took off his jacket. "That Sophie Oswald."

"Are you jealous?"

"No, but I am concerned," she said, meeting his gaze. "Don't let your hormones effect your performance, Yuri. You need to be focused tomorrow. Don't let the girl distract you from what we have to do."

Yuri's eyes narrowed. "Believe me, Layla, nothing and nobody is going to stand in the way of my goals."

DISCLAIMER: _Kaleido Star _doesn't belong to me.


	2. Chapter Two Seduction Of The Virgin

Chapter Two: Seduction Of The Virgin

Layla was in the sitting room of the two-bedroom suite they were sharing, watching a video their manager had recorded of that day's practice, when Yuri came out of his room that evening, dressed in one of his best suits. Layla paused the video and twisted around on the couch, arching her eyebrow.

"Are you going out?" she asked as he headed toward the door to leave.

"Yes. I happen to have a date."

"With that Sophie girl?"

Yuri smirked. "You know, Layla, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you really were jealous."

"Don't be ridiculous, Yuri." She turned back around and unpaused the video. "Just don't stay out too late. Tomorrow is an important day for us, and you need your rest."

"Yes, ma'am!" he said, saluting her in jest before exiting the suite.

Like Sophie said, the cab driver had no problem locating the apartment building. It wasn't far from the arena where the International Circus Festival was being held. Yuri asked the cab to wait and headed up to the fourth floor to Sophie's apartment. Rather than Sophie, however, Leon was the one to answer the door when he knocked.

"Hello, Leon," Yuri said. "I'm here to pick Sophie up for our date."

Leon didn't respond, simply turning back around and taking a seat in a worn-out armchair, book in hand. Though Leon hadn't welcomed him in, Yuri entered the small apartment anyway and sat down on the couch.

"Is Sophie running late?"

Her brother made a grunting sound, but again didn't say anything, which surprised Yuri. He had fully expected Leon to give him the usual "big brother" speech about cutting off his balls if he even thought about doing anything improper with Sophie. As much as it killed him to admit, Leon's stony silence was unnerving.

"You know, you can at least say 'hello' to me, Leon," Yuri said. "It won't kill you."

Leon turned a page in his book before deigning at last to speak to him.

"Sophie told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say to you, it would be best if I didn't say anything at all."

Fortunately, Sophie chose that moment to come out of her bedroom, sparing Yuri from any more of Leon's unsociable behavior. "Leon, have you seen my -" She paused, her eyes widening slightly when she saw Yuri sitting on the couch. "Oh, Yuri, I didn't realize you were here!" Sophie turned to her brother. "I thought I told you to let me know when he arrived."

"Did you?" Leon drawled, flipping another page. "I must have forgotten."

"Don't worry about it," Yuri said. "I haven't been waiting long." He stood up and kissed her chastely on the cheek. "You look stunning tonight, by the way."

Yuri was accustomed to seeing Sophie in the pastels she normally wore during practice, so it was a welcome change to see her wearing a modest black dress with matching bolero jacket. A cameo choker adorned her neck, and her white-blonde hair was pulled back into a neat French braid.

"I'm not too overdressed, am I?" she asked, fidgeting with the cuff of her jacket. "I wasn't sure what we were doing tonight, so -"

"You're perfect," he assured her, and offered his arm like a gentleman. "Shall we be on our way? I made dinner reservations for eight."

"Yes, I just need to find my -"

Without even looking up from his book, Leon reached for the black sequined clutch on the end table beside his chair and held it up. "This?"

"So that's where I left it!" She moved to take the purse from him, but Leon wouldn't let it go.

"Don't stay out too late, Sophie," he said, finally looking up from his book. "The competition is tomorrow."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "I won't, so can I please have my purse now?" After a moment's hesitation, Leon released his hold on the clutch, and Sophie pecked him on the cheek. "_Merci_. _Bonsoir_, Leon."

After that, Yuri and Sophie left and headed back downstairs to the waiting cab. "I hope Leon wasn't too rude to you while you were waiting," Sophie said as they exited the apartment building.

"He didn't say much, honestly," Yuri said, which was true.

"Really? He's usually does a good job of intimidating my dates before we go out."

Yuri opened the door and helped Sophie into the cab before getting in on the other side. He decided not to mention to her just how intimidating Leon's silence could actually be. "So the two of you live on your own?" he asked instead as the cab drove off.

A flicker of sadness appeared in Sophie's eyes. She looked down at her hands, playing with the clasp of her purse. "Our parents died when we were really young," she said after a short pause. "Leon practically raised me on his own, especially after we left Monsieur Rubel's care."

"Monsieur Rubel?"

"Alain Rubel. He was our trainer until we left him a few years ago. He's the one who began training us to perform the Angel's Maneuver." Sophie looked back up at Yuri. "What about you? Do you have any family? Any brothers or sisters?"

"It was just me and my mother," Yuri said, turning his head to glance out the window at the lights of Paris. The city certainly lived up to it's reputation, but Yuri barely noticed, one of his hands clenching into a fist. "My father died in a trapeze accident when I was a kid."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I…"

Seeming to get the hint that he would rather not talk about it, Sophie remained quiet the rest of the way. The cab pulled up to the restaurant about twenty minutes later. Sophie's eyes widened in awe as Yuri helped her out of the car.

"We're eating here? But this is a four-star restaurant!"

"The concierge at the hotel recommended it to me," Yuri said. "Have you ever eaten here before?"

"Oh, no…" Sophie shook her head, still staring at the building as if she was waiting in line to enter the kingdom of Heaven. "Leon and I could never afford to eat at a place like this." She smoothed down the fabric of her dress. "Now I'm worried I'm underdressed."

"You look great. Don't worry." Yuri led her inside. "We have an eight o'clock reservation," he said to the maitre d' at the podium. "The name is Killian."

"Ah, yes, Monsieur Killian," the maitre d' said after locating his name on the list. "We have been expecting you. Right this way."

The man sat them at an intimate table out on a second-floor private balcony and handed them their menus before leaving. Sophie looked like she was about to faint when she opened up her menu and saw the extravagant prices printed inside.

"Are you sure this is okay, Yuri?" she whispered, holding her menu up in front of her mouth even though nobody else was around. "Just look at these prices!"

Yuri chuckled. "It's fine. Feel free to order whatever you like. Price is no object." Especially since Kalos was the one footing the bill. After what that man had done to his father, Yuri felt paying for a fancy dinner was the least the bastard could do. "The lobster here is supposed to be excellent. I think that's what I'll order," he decided, setting his menu aside. "Would you like to try it as well?"

Sophie glanced back down at her menu, most likely searching for how much the lobster cost. Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when she found it. "Um, I think I'll go with the coq au vin," she said, choosing one of the cheaper items on the menu.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I love it."

Yuri gave a little shrug and placed her menu on top of his on the table. He would have preferred she pick something more expensive, just to stick it to Kalos a little more, but her loss. A short time later, the waiter came by and took their order.

"It certainly is beautiful tonight," Sophie commented after the waiter left. From their vantage point on the balcony, they had a great view of the City of Light, including the brightly lit Eiffel Tower.

"Yes, it is," Yuri agreed, reaching across the table to caress Sophie's hand, "but not as beautiful as you are."

Sophie blushed at the complement, her eyes downcast. "Do you really think so, Yuri?"

"I can't be the first man who has said that to you. A girl as pretty as you must have plenty of admirers."

"I-I don't know about that," she said, flustered. "I haven't been asked out that often."

"I find that hard to believe."

"It's true."

"Well, then, they must have been too in awe of your overwhelming beauty to approach you," Yuri said, bringing the back of her hand to his lips. He then stood up, hearing the faint music of a string quartet coming from inside the restaurant. "Care for a dance?"

Sophie nodded and rose from her chair, allowing Yuri to lead her away from the table. Out on the balcony, there wasn't much room to dance, but Yuri didn't let that stop him. He pulled Sophie close and positioned her arms so that they were wrapped around his neck. His hands then traveled down her back before coming to a stop on her hipbone. Together, they swayed in rhythm to the music, Yuri making a concentrated effort to keep eye contact with Sophie the entire time as if she was the only woman in the world.

And when he sensed the timing was right, Yuri brushed his lips against hers, Sophie reciprocating in kind.

Yes, he had Sophie Oswald just where he wanted.

* * *

><p>The food more than lived up to the restaurant's reputation. Unfortunately, Yuri could not feel so complimentary toward his dinner companion. He put up an admirable front of pretending to be interested in Sophie's dull, monotonous life of training with Leon, but inwardly he was bored out of his mind. If it wasn't for his plan, Yuri would have thought up an excuse to cut the date short a long time ago.<p>

It didn't help matters at all that Sophie was a genuinely sweet person, unlike her brother. She probably didn't have a single unkind bone in her entire body. Even when there had been a mistake with the salad she had ordered, instead of demanding a new one, she just shrugged and picked the croutons out with her fork.

He would have preferred dealing with Leon directly. Taking advantage of his naïve little sister didn't sit well with Yuri, but things had gone too far to back out now. To succeed in getting his revenge on Kalos, he needed to be cunning and ruthless, no matter who he might hurt in the process. Yuri comforted himself with the thought that after the competition was all over, Sophie would at least have learned a valuable lesson about not trusting charming men who seduced with pretty words.

After dinner, they caught a cab, Sophie under the impression that Yuri intended to take her home. Instead, the cab pulled up in front of the hotel where Yuri was staying with Layla.

Sophie hesitated getting out of the car. "This is your hotel," she said, staring up at the building.

"Is that a problem?"

"Leon told me not to stay out too late. I don't think -"

Yuri took her by the hand and pulled her out of the cab. "Is Leon your keeper?" he asked, lifting up her chin. "Come on, Sophie. You're eighteen years old." He lightly kissed her on the lips - a preview of things to come - and noted that her lip gloss tasted faintly of cherries. "You don't need your brother's permission to stay out past curfew."

"Well, I suppose I can stay a little while longer…"

Yuri smiled and paid the cabbie his fare. The two of them then headed up to the suite he shared with Layla, Yuri checking inside first to make sure the coast was clear. The sitting room was empty, meaning Layla was most likely in her own room, already asleep. Yuri opened the door wider and invited Sophie in.

"This is a lovely room," Sophie said as she walked inside, impressed. "Is it a suite?"

After slipping off his jacket and hanging it on the coat rack, Yuri came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and nuzzling at her neck. "Yes, I'm sharing it with Layla."

At the mention of his partner's name, Yuri felt Sophie's body tense up. "Layla's here?"

"Don't worry about her. She's probably already gone to bed," he said, letting go of her. He waved his hand toward the couch. "Have a seat. I'll prepare us some drinks. What'll you have?"

"Water will be fine. Tomorrow's the competition, after all. I don't want to deal with a hangover."

"Water it is, then," Yuri said, heading to the mini-fridge. He poured them both a glass of water and joined her on the couch. "Here."

"_Merci_."

Instead of drinking his water, however, Yuri set his glass on the coffee table and stretched his arm behind Sophie. He began lightly nibbling at her earlobe, causing Sophie to let out a girlish giggle.

"Yuri, quit that! That tickles!"

Yuri did as she asked and took her glass from her hand, setting it down beside his on the table. Resuming his seduction, he turned so that he was facing a blushing Sophie and caressed her cheek. "You are so beautiful, Sophie," he murmured before kissing her once again.

The kiss was deeper and more passionate than the ones they shared before. Yuri had sensed she didn't have much experience in such matters, so he had held back, not wanting to come off too strong, too soon, and risk scaring her off. Sophie, however, had grown bolder and kissed him back with equal force, her hands wrapping around the base of his neck to pull him closer toward her.

To Yuri's surprise, Sophie climbed on top of him, straddling his lap as they continued kissing. He had to admit he preferred this more aggressive side to her and felt himself harden in response. He reached for the bow holding back her hair and untied it, using his fingers to unravel the braid so that her hair fell in loose sexy waves around her shoulders.

"You are so hot," he said, and for the first time, he actually meant it.

Sophie's cheeks went flush, but Yuri couldn't tell if it was out of embarrassment or arousal. Perhaps it was a combination of both. His hands moved to slide off her bolero jacket, tossing it aside before reaching for the tiny zipper on the back of her dress.

"Wait," Sophie said breathlessly, pulling back and moving his hand away.

Yuri fought the urge to swear aloud. "What is it?" he asked instead as she climbed off of him. "Don't you want to?"

She bit on her bottom lip, her eyes darting in the direction of Layla's room. "Um, yes, but Layla's here…"

"Shall we move things to my room then?"

She nodded, letting Yuri pull her up from the couch and lead her to his bedroom. Once inside, he locked the door behind him so that Layla wouldn't accidentally walk in on them. He then took off his shoes and shirt, turning around to see Sophie had kicked off her heels and was standing with her back toward him at the foot of the bed, her long hair swept over one shoulder. Yuri got the hint and came up behind her, unzipping the dress and allowing it to fall down around her ankles. Sophie sucked in a sharp breath as he also unfastened her bra and began fondling her small breasts.

"You know, this is my first time…doing this," she admitted.

As he kissed the back of her neck, Yuri murmured, "Is it?"

_Oh, great, she's a virgin, _he thought sardonically. _This'll be fun_. Based on her aggressive behavior earlier, Yuri had hoped he had been mistaken about her lack of experience. He ought to have suspected as much, though. Leon didn't seem the type who let many guys near his precious and pure little sister.

"But I dreamed my first time would be with you," she continued as Yuri raised up her arms, locking her hands behind his neck. "I always fantasized about you whenever…" She paused for a moment, hesitating before switching to her native French. "…_quand je m'ai touchée_."

"_Comme ça?" _he answered back, slipping his right hand under the waistband of her lacy panties.

As one of his fingers slipped inside her, Sophie gasped. "_Tu parles français?"_

Yuri smirked. In addition to English, he happened to be fluent in both French and Russian. "_Oui_," he whispered into her ear while continuing to stroke her most intimate spot. "_Assez parlé._"

Sophie moaned softly, arching her back into him as Yuri found her pleasure point. Talking was definitely the last thing either felt like doing in that moment.

* * *

><p>"That was… That was…" Sophie shook her head and laid down on top of him, at a lost for words. "<em>Magnifique<em>," she said once she had managed to catch her breath.

"Was it now?" he asked, twirling a lock of her long hair around his finger.

"_Oui_."

Yuri grinned, quite pleased with himself. He had to admit that sleeping with Sophie had been better than he expected, considering she had been a virgin. She had been inexperienced, certainly, but very eager to learn.

They lay together for a few moments, neither of them saying anything, until Sophie glanced over at the alarm clock. It was about fifteen minutes before eleven.

"Oh, no, I didn't realize it was so late!" she exclaimed, gathering her discarded clothes from the floor. "Leon must be worried out of his mind. I need to get home."

"Do you want me to walk you back to your place?" Yuri asked, watching Sophie get dressed from his spot on the bed. He hoped she said "no". He was exhausted and needed to get his rest for the competition tomorrow.

Plus, he didn't exactly fancy seeing Leon again, especially after what he had just done with his sister.

"I'll be fine. I'll just take a cab." She looked around the room, searching for something. "Where are my panties?" she muttered in French. "Oh, never mind…"

Yuri sat back up, discarded his condom in the wastebasket near the bed, and pulled on a pair of pants. "I'll walk you to the door."

They headed back out to the sitting room, Sophie grabbing her jacket before letting Yuri show her out. "I had a wonderful night tonight, Yuri," she said out in the hall. "It will be a night I will always remember."

"Yeah, it was fun," Yuri said from his spot in the open doorway.

Sophie blushed and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Maybe…we could do it again sometime?"

Yuri smiled. It was the opening he had been waiting for to put the final part of his grand plan into motion. "Sure, I'd like that," he said. "I'll call you tomorrow sometime. We can make plans then."

"That sounds great," she agreed, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him goodbye. "_Au revoir_."

"_Au revoir_, Sophie."

Yuri watched Sophie until she got on the elevator, then turned back around and closed the door behind him. He was startled to see Layla poking her head out from behind the door to her bedroom.

"Who was that, Yuri?" she asked, rubbing at her eyes.

Wondering how long she had been there, Yuri came up with a quick lie. "Just the maid. I asked her to have my suit pressed. When we win tomorrow, I want to look good for the cameras."

Her eyes glanced over at the two nearly-full glasses of water on the coffee table. She arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything about it, instead turning her attention back to Yuri. "Don't stay up too late, Yuri," she reminded him. "Tomorrow's a big day."

"I was just about to go to bed." He let out a yawn and stretched his arms over his head. "Goodnight, Layla."

"Goodnight." She closed the door.

Whistling to himself, Yuri returned to his own room and was about to undress again when he spotted something black and lacy on the floor, half hidden underneath the bedskirt. He reached down and scooped the item up, a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he held up Sophie's missing panties. He wondered what Leon would think if he waved them around in front of him. Might be worth keeping in mind as Plan B, in case his plan for tomorrow failed and Sophie managed to make it to the competition on time. He stuffed the panties inside the gym bag he planned to take with him and crawled into bed.

DISCLAIMER: _Kaleido Star _doesn't belong to me.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Special thanks to Starsea, who helped me with some of my rusty high school French.

**Glossary**

_Merci. _- Thank you.

_Bonsoir. _- Good evening.

…_quand je m'ai touchée_. - …when I touched myself.

_Comme ça?_ - Like this?

_Tu parles français? _- You speak French?

_Oui. _- Yes.

_Assez parlé._ - Stop talking.

_Magnifique._ - Magnificent.

_Au revoir_. - Goodbye.


	3. Chapter Three An Angel In Heaven

An Angel In Heaven

"I think that's enough for today, Yuri," Layla announced after they had spent most of the next morning putting the finishing touches on their Golden Phoenix. "We should rest and save the rest of our strength for the competition. Want to grab some lunch?"

Yuri climbed down from the trapeze and headed over to his gym bag. "In a minute," he said, digging out his cell phone. "I need to make a call. Go ahead, and I'll meet you there."

Once Layla had left, Yuri checked the time. It was close to noon. The trapeze portion of the festival would begin in about an hour, although he and Sophie weren't due to compete until near the end of the competition. If he was to put his plan into action, it was the perfect time. Grinning, Yuri flipped open his cell phone and dialed Sophie's number.

She picked up on the third ring. "Yuri?" she answered, sounding out of breath.

"Hey, Sophie, I didn't call at a bad time, did I?"

"No, not at all. Leon and I just finished up our final practice."

"Have you two perfected the Angel's Maneuver yet?" Yuri asked, feigning interest. Whether or not they had was of little importance to him. If things went according to plan, they would never get the chance to perform it at the Festival.

"Almost," Sophie said. "It's still not perfect, but I have a feeling I will be able to pull it off this afternoon. Is it strange to think that?"

Yuri still couldn't believe that the two of them had planned to attempt a maneuver they had yet to actually succeed in mastering. Were they taking the competition seriously at all? Logic dictated that competitors come prepared to perform their best routines, not leaving everything to chance on some wild card act.

"No, not at all," he lied. "I'm sure you'll do great. I look forward to seeing it."

"Thanks. I can't wait to see your Golden Phoenix with Layla as well. I know it will be spectacular!"

"I'll do my best to live up to your expectations. Anyway, since you've finished practicing, how about a lunch date? My treat."

"Lunch? Um, well, I'd like to, but Leon and I already made plans to watch the -"

"Leon's a big boy; he can fend for himself," Yuri interrupted. "Layla and I will leaving tomorrow morning to go back to the States, so this might be the last time we'll be able to be alone together for a while. Besides, there's something important I want to tell you, but I'd rather do it in private."

"What is it? Can't you tell me now?"

"It's not something that should be said over the phone. I'd rather tell you in person, and I'm afraid if I don't tell you soon, I won't be able to properly concentrate on the competition," he said. "Please, Sophie, I really need to see you."

There was a brief pause before Sophie replied. "Okay, I'll cancel my plans with Leon. I want to see you too, Yuri."

"Great. Meet me at the park in front of the hotel where I'm staying around, say, 12:30? I might be a little late, depending on how long Layla keeps me here, but I promise I'll be there as soon as I can. Just don't leave without me, okay?"

"I won't," she promised. "I'll see you in a little while, then."

Yuri smirked. "I'll be looking forward to it," he said before ending the call.

That was even easier than he thought it would be. Sophie had a lot to learn if she ever wanted to become a champion trapeze artist. It was never a smart idea to trust a competitor, even if you had a crush on them. Knowing Sophie's personality, she would wait for him at the park until the last possible moment, unaware that he never had any intention of keeping their lunch date. The park was a decent distance away from the arena, so even if by chance she managed to catch a taxi, with all the afternoon traffic, there was little chance she would be able to get back in time to compete. She and Leon would be forced to withdraw, and his plans for revenge against Kalos would remain unthreatened.

It was the prefect plan.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later, Layla and Yuri headed to the dressing room to change into their costumes. Among the remaining competitors gathered, neither Sophie or Leon were present, which Yuri took as a good sign. He was in the middle of styling his hair when a gofer working for the festival came looking for him.<p>

"Yuri Killian?"

He set down his comb and glanced over at the young man. "That's me."

"You have a phone call, _monsieur_. It's apparently urgent."

Beside him at the vanity, Layla frowned. "Who would be calling you so close to the competition, Yuri?"

Yuri had a fairly good idea who it might be - although he thought it was a bit strange that she had called the arena and not his cell phone when she should have had his number - but he didn't let on to Layla. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he told her, and followed the gofer to the phone.

"Hey, Sophie, sorry I couldn't make it to our d-"

A low masculine voice cut him off. "Sophie is dying."

"What?" Yuri's eyebrows furrowed. He knew that voice. "Leon, is that you?"

"Sophie is dying, Yuri," the voice repeated. There was no mistaking that it was Leon, but he sounded as if he was on the verge of tears. "Please, you must come to the hospital. She's been asking for you."

He frowned. "Is this some sort of sick joke, Leon? I know you don't like me, but I never thought you would sink so low as to lie about something like -"

"It's not a lie!" Leon insisted. Now Yuri was positive he was crying. "She was… She was hit by a car, rushing back to the arena for the competition. Her internal injuries are too severe. The doctors give her an hour, at best."

Yuri had to admit it was a fine performance on Leon's part, but he knew how cutthroat the competition at the International Circus Festival was. Hadn't he just pulled the same kind of trick on Sophie? He wasn't about to believe anything a competitor told him on blind faith. "Listen, if that's true, then I'm very sorry to hear it, but Layla and I are about to go on stage. I don't have time to visit Sophie in the hospital. Maybe after the competition, I can -"

"She'll be dead by then!" Leon choked back a sob, but composed himself before continuing. "Please, Yuri, you must know how much my sister cares about you. She was so looking forward to seeing you again. I realize now that you were probably only tricking her in order to make her late for our performance, but even if it is a lie, let her believe that you truly cared about her. Don't let Sophie die heart-broken! I'm begging you, please…"

Yuri tightened his grip on the phone. "I'm sorry," he managed to croak out. "I can't. This competition is too important to us."

"Yuri!"

He set down the receiver back in its cradle, shaken by Leon's words in spite of himself. He took in a few deep breaths and reminded himself that in all likelihood, Leon was lying, no matter how convincing he sounded. Sophie was no doubt pissed at him for standing her up, so Leon had tried to get revenge on her behalf by inventing that ridiculous story about Sophie being in the hospital in order to prevent him from competing. Simple as that. Though he hadn't seen either of them around, Yuri expected to see the two of them alive and well at the competition - no doubt a setback to his plan.

Well, there was nothing he could do about it now except to perform the Golden Phoenix with Layla to the best of his ability. With any luck, the Oswald siblings would fail in completing their Angel's Maneuver, casting a shadow on Leon's ability.

Still… What if it wasn't a lie? What if Sophie really was dying, and it was his fault?

"Who was it calling you?" Layla asked when he returned to the dressing room a few moments later.

"What?" Yuri shook his head, clearing his mind of thoughts of Sophie and Leon. He needed to remain focused on the competition. "Oh, it was just Kalos," he lied, "reminding us that failure is not an option today."

"I should have known. I hope you told him the competition is as good as ours."

Yuri forced a cocky grin. "Of course."

* * *

><p>Somehow, Yuri managed to push Sophie out of his mind to focus on what needed to be done. He and Layla performed the Golden Phoenix perfectly - not a single misstep. They were by far the best of the couples who had competed, earning a standing ovation from the audience. Nobody else had come even close to matching the power and the passion of their performance.<p>

"That was amazing!" Layla said backstage in the wings. "Do you hear that applause? I think that's the best we've ever performed the Golden Phoenix. Don't you think, Yuri?"

"What?" Yuri barely heard her, looking around for any sign of Leon and Sophie. The brother-sister team were supposed to perform the Angel's Maneuver right after them, the final entrants of the competition. As of yet, neither of them had made an appearance, which Yuri considered strange. If they had wanted to rattle him, surely they would have revealed themselves right before he had gone on stage. "Sorry, I wasn't listening."

Layla frowned, placing a hand on his arm. "Is something wrong? You've been acting strangely ever since you took that call from Kalos. Did he say something to you?"

"No, nothing he hasn't said before," he lied. "It's nothing. I suppose I'm just nervous. After all, our entire future at Kaleido Stage is at stake. If we don't win, we're out of a job."

"The hard part is over, and we did our absolute best. There's nothing more to do but await the judges' decision."

"Right."

At that moment, the lights suddenly dimmed as an official from the festival took the stage. The audience, who was still applauding Yuri and Layla's Golden Phoenix, quieted to a whisper. Yuri felt his heart drop to his stomach, sensing something was definitely wrong.

_It couldn't be…_

"_Messieurs_ and _Mesdames_, I have a sad announcement to make," the man said, taking a moment to compose himself before continuing. "The last pair to perform for you this afternoon was to be the talented brother-sister team of Leon and Sophie Oswald. Tragically, we were just informed moments ago that Sophie Oswald has died of injuries suffered during an accident earlier today. Leon and Sophie had hoped to perform an 'Angel's Maneuver' for you today, but now Sophie has truly become an angel in Heaven. Please, let us dedicate a moment of silence in memory of Sophie."

As everybody else present fell silent and bowed their heads in respect, Yuri held up his shaking hands, staring at them as if they were covered in blood. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "No, this wasn't supposed to happen. I never wanted this…"

Layla glanced over at him. "Yuri?"

He took a step back.

"Yuri, what's wr-"

"Thank you," the official said on stage, ending the minute of silence. "We will be announcing the winners in an half-hour's time."

Back in the wings, Layla reached for Yuri's arm. "Hey, you look a little pale," she said. "Let's go see the doctor."

"I'm…fine," he said, regaining his voice. "I'm fine. I just… I'll be back." He pivoted on his heel.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Restroom."

Yuri hurried to the nearest men's room, which was fortunately unoccupied, and locked the door behind him. He then rushed to the toilet, making it just in time before he hurled. He emptied out his stomach to the point that he began dry heaving, choking on the crushing guilt that had come over him.

Once he finally finished, Yuri flushed the toilet and walked over to the sink to wash the foul taste out of his mouth. He left the water running as he stared up at his reflection in the mirror.

"It's not my fault," he told his fake self. "I didn't kill Sophie. All I did was stand her up for a stupid date. I was a jerk, but it's not like I was the one driving the car that hit her. I didn't want this to happen."

Yuri couldn't bring himself to believe that, though, and soon tears began streaming down his face. He slumped back against the door, sobs erupting from his body uncontrollably.

He had no idea how long he stood there crying, but Layla eventually came to find him and knocked on the door.

"Are you in there, Yuri? The awards ceremony is about to begin."

Yuri tore off a sheet from the towel dispenser and wiped away the remaining tears, grateful that the running water had apparently hid the sound of his sobs. "Yeah, I'll be out in a sec," he said, splashing some cold water on his face before turning off the faucet.

He exited the bathroom to find Layla waiting for him, leaning against the opposite wall. "Yuri, have you been crying?" she asked upon seeing his face, concerned.

Yuri averted his eyes, running a hand through his hair. "Don't be ridiculous."

"There's no shame if you were. A young woman died today under tragic circumstances. I think everybody here is feeling a little sad, even if they didn't know Sophie personally." Layla reached out for his hand. "Come here, you look a mess."

She led him into the empty dressing room down the hall and told him to sit down at one of the vanities. She then pulled out her make-up kit and began slathering concealer and foundation over his tear-streaked face.

"Sophie was the 'maid' from last night, wasn't she?" Layla asked in a soft voice. Yuri didn't respond, confirming her suspicion. "I thought so. Her voice sounded familiar. Oh, Yuri, I'm so sorry…"

"Don't say that," he said hoarsely, pulling Layla's hand away from his face. "I don't want your sympathy. I don't deserve it."

"Yuri…"

He stood back up and looked at his reflection in the vanity mirror, pretending to put his hair back into place. Layla had done a decent job of covering up any evidence that he had been crying, although his eyes were still slightly red and puffy. "How do I look?"

"I don't think anybody will be able to tell unless they look closely."

"Good," he said, turning back around. "Thanks."

The two of them headed back to the wings where all the other competitors had gathered to hear the announcement of the winners. Unlike the usual banter that surrounded the awards ceremony, there was a marked solemnity among the contestants - a few even in tears. Even if Sophie had been their competitor, her sudden death had affected them all. Without thinking about it, Yuri sought out Layla's hand and was reassured when she gave it a gentle squeeze.

As expected, he and Layla were named the champions of the International Circus Festival, but to Yuri, the whole experience seemed surreal, like he wasn't even there. When they went on stage to accept the trophy, he let Layla do most of the talking, only adding a few trivial sentences at the end of her speech which he promptly forgot. It took the bulk of his concentration just to smile and put on a happy face for the cameras.

It should have been one of the proudest moments of his life. After all the years of training and all the sacrifices they had made, they had been named the best trapeze artists in the world. Though winning the title had always meant far more to Layla than it had to Yuri, who mostly saw it as a means to an end, he had looked forward to the moment they would accept that huge trophy, knowing how happy his father - a previous Festival winner - would have been of his accomplishment had he still been alive.

Yet standing on that stage with Layla, cameras flashing and people applauding…

Yuri had never felt less proud of himself in his entire life.

DISCLAIMER: _Kaleido Star _doesn't belong to me.


	4. Chapter Four Drowning His Sorrows

WARNING: Drunk sex

Chapter Four: Drowning His Sorrows

It wasn't until after eight that Yuri and Layla finally got a moment to themselves upon returning to their hotel suite. After the conclusion of the awards ceremony, the rest of the day had been filled with photo shoots, press conferences, and interviews with the local and international news outlets. Again, Yuri had relinquished to Layla most of the spotlight focused on them, content to let her speak on his behalf as well, but every time a reporter had asked them about Sophie Oswald's tragic death, he felt like someone had punched him in the gut.

The moment they entered the sitting room, Yuri crashed on the couch, emotionally drained, while Layla searched for a place to put the trophy.

"It's larger than expected, isn't it?" she said, admiring it. "We ought to settle on a schedule."

"For what?" Yuri asked wearily.

"For possession of the trophy. I was thinking we could switch every other month. On the other hand, Kalos might want to display it in his office…"

He gave a dismissive wave. "Do whatever you like with it. I don't want it."

"What do you mean, you don't want it? We both earned this."

"Everybody knows you're the real reason why the Golden Phoenix was such a success," Yuri said. "I'm just your pretty boy partner. You could do it by yourself if needed be, so you take the trophy. It's yours."

Layla set the trophy on the coffee table and stared down at Yuri, hands on her hips. "Yuri Killian, you know as well as I do that's not true. I value your partnership, and I don't want to hear you put yourself down like that."

"Whatever," he mumbled, throwing an arm over his eyes to block his view of the award. "I still don't want it."

"Look, I understand you're upset about Sophie," Layla said in a softer voice, taking a seat on the arm of the couch near his feet, "but we just won the International Circus Festival. Aren't you even a _little _happy about that?"

Honestly, he wasn't. Just looking at the trophy was a painful reminder of the cruel lengths he had gone through in order to win it. He was little better than Kalos, who had pushed his father into agreeing to perform the dangerous Legendary Great Maneuver for his own selfish goal of putting the fledgling Kaleido Stage on the map.

"I think we should celebrate," Layla announced when Yuri didn't respond to her question. "Maybe it'll help get your mind off things for a while. We're in one of the most exciting and beautiful cities in the world, but we've been so focused on the competition, we haven't had the chance to enjoy it."

Lifting up his arm, Yuri looked over at Layla and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The great Layla Hamilton actually wants to cut loose and have fun?"

"Is that so odd?"

"You don't even take the day off from training for your birthday or Christmas. Face it, Layla, you're a workaholic." He was about to add "just like your father," but he had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate the comparison.

"Well, I think we deserve a break just this once." She stood back up and grabbed him by the wrist, giving it a tug. "Come on, let's go."

The last thing Yuri felt like doing was going out on the town. "You go if you want."

"But my French in terrible," Layla said, which Yuri knew was a complete lie. She spoke the language almost as well as he did. "I don't want to run around the city by myself when I don't know the language. Please, Yuri…"

Yuri pulled himself back up to a sitting position, Layla releasing her hold on his hand.

"You'll go?"

"No," he said, getting an idea, "but we can still celebrate here." He reached for the phone and the room service menu on the coffee table, pulling them toward him.

"What are you ordering?" she asked as he dialed the number for room service. "We just ate dinner an hour ago. You can't possibly be hungry again."

He ignored her question. "Yes, can you send a bottle of your most expensive champagne up to our suite? _Merci_."

Layla frowned as he hung up the phone. "Yuri, we're not old enough to drink."

"Not in the States, but we're perfectly legal here," he pointed out. "Besides, you were the one who wanted to celebrate, so what better way than with champagne?"

She took a seat beside him on the couch, arms crossed over her chest. "Kalos is not going to appreciate us splurging like this…"

As if he cared what Kalos thought. "If you feel so guilty about it, pay him back when we get home. It's not like you don't have the money to spare."

"I suppose so."

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. "That was fast," Yuri said, getting up and answering it.

"One bottle of our finest champagne, _Monsieur_, along with some caviar, compliments of the hotel," the valet said, pushing the cart into the room. "Where would you like this?"

"Wherever. It doesn't matter."

The man parked the cart in the back corner of the room and left after Yuri tipped him. Once he was gone, Yuri popped open the cork on the chilled bottle and began pouring two glasses. He carried the glasses and the bottle over to the couch, handing one flute to Layla, and sat back down beside her.

"A toast to the incredible Layla Hamilon," he said, raising his glass to Layla.

She lifted her own glass as well. "And to the equally amazing Yuri Killian."

He frowned. "I'm not going to toast to that."

"Too bad," she said, clicking their champagne flutes together before taking a sip. "Mmm, bubbly." Layla let out a rare giggle. "I think I rather like it."

Yuri brought his glass to his lips and gulped down the entire flute in one go. He then reached for the bottle on the table, pouring himself a refill.

"Hey, Yuri, slow down," Layla said. "You're not even enjoying the taste."

He took another swig, but left some of the drink behind. "Want some more?" he offered Layla, again reaching for the bottle.

"I'm not even fini-" Yuri refilled her glass anyway, causing it to overflow and spill on her expensive-looking silk dress. "Yuri!" she exclaimed, setting her glass down on the coffee table.

He laughed. "Oops, sorry!"

She jumped up from the couch and grabbed a napkin from the cart, using it to try to soak up the spill. It didn't help very much. "Oh, I'm going to take a shower!" she said, heading back toward her bedroom.

"Suit yourself." That just meant more for him. Yuri finished off the rest of his glass in one swallow. "Are you going to drink that?" he asked, referring to the glass she had left behind.

"Oh, take it. I don't care."

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Layla returned to the common room dressed in a robe. Yuri, completely plastered, had turned on the stereo and was singing along - badly - to the French song playing on the radio. He held a half-drunk glass of champagne in one hand, while he used the almost empty bottle as a makeshift microphone.<p>

"Yuri, you're drunk!"

"Oh, hey, Layla," he slurred. "Come join the party!"

She marched straight over to him and snatched the bottle out of his hand. "This thing is almost empty!" she said, holding it up to the light. "How many glasses have you drank?"

Yuri counted aloud on his fingers. "Four? Seven? Ten?" He shrugged, having lost count somewhere along the way, and finished off the drink in his hand. "That makes… I don't know!" Finding himself hilarious, he laughed and held up his glass. "Fill me up, barkeep!"

"I don't think so. You've had more than enough."

"You're not my mother."

"No, but I am your friend." In order to prevent him from drinking anymore, Layla began guzzling the rest straight out of the bottle.

"Hey, no fair!"

In a very un-Layla-like manner, Layla wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her robe after finishing the bottle off. "You ordered the bottle for the both of us. I was just drinking my share."

"Never mind," he said upon remembering that there was more booze in the minibar. He stooped down and opened it, looking over the selection. "Lessee… Oh, hey, look at all these tiny bottles!" Yuri grabbed a couple of bottles of beer and stood back up. "Here, catch!"

In his inebriated state, his normally excellent aim was terrible, but Layla, who was not as buzzed, managed to catch it. Yuri popped the top off the other bottle and began chugging it down large gulps.

"Yuri, stop it!" Layla said, attempting to take the bottle out of his hand.

By that time, Yuri had had just about enough of her demands. If he wanted to drink until dawn, that was his damn business, not hers. "Shut up, woman," he told her, shoving her away.

"Excuse me?" Layla glared at him, poking him in the chest. "Did you just call me 'woman'? I have a name, you know. And I don't appreciate being pushed around either. I'm only trying to help."

"Oh, sorry, _Mademoiselle_ Layla. Is that more to your liking, or would you rather be called _Princesse_?" He gave an exaggerated bow.

"You're mean when you're drunk, Yuri. I don't like it."

"Well, maybe this is who I really am. Maybe the Yuri Killian you know is just an act," he said bitterly, and took another drink.

Layla stared at him for a moment, seeming to contemplate his words, before popping off the top of her own bottle. "Oh, fine, I give up," she said, plopping back down on the sofa and taking a swig of beer. She made a face at the taste. "Ugh, this is terrible! How can you drink this stuff?"

Still, she took another sip.

Yuri grinned, his former good mood restored. "Now that's more like it!" On the radio, an upbeat song he liked started playing. He turned up the volume and began dancing around, singing along to the lyrics.

Watching him from her spot on the couch, Layla rolled her eyes. "You do realize you look utterly ridiculous?"

"In that case…" After finishing off the rest of his bottle, Yuri switched the stations until he found one that played American music. The song that was currently playing was an old hit from the early Nineties called "I'm Too Sexy". Taking inspiration from the song, he began dancing provocatively for Layla and singing along to the lyrics. "I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirts, so sexy it hurts."'

Layla fanned herself with her hand. "Oh, my," she said, and took another swig of her drink. She was definitely getting tipsy. "Take it off, take it off!"

Yuri was hardly one to say "no" to a beautiful woman, so he unbuttoned the front of his shirt and stripped it off, tossing it to Layla. He then began unbuckling his belt, causing a blushing Layla to cover her eyes.

"Yuri, I didn't mean it literally!"

He smirked. "Oh, you know you love it," he said, gyrating his hips in front of her.

Layla couldn't resist taking a peek through her fingers. She again started laughing, her face red as a tomato. "Stop it!" she giggled as Yuri placed his hands on the back of the couch, looming over her.

"Do you really want me to stop, Layla?" he asked, staring down at her.

Her laughter dying down, Layla began breathing heavily instead as Yuri brought his mouth down to hers, lightly kissing her on the lips. "Yuri?"

"I'm Too Sexy" had ended, changing to a slower, more romantic ballad. Yuri straightened back up and reached for one of Layla's hands. "Let's dance."

Wordlessly, Layla set her almost empty beer bottle on the coffee table and allowed Yuri to pull her back up to her feet. He held her close, the two of them swaying in time to the music, and took in her freshly-showered scent. She smelled faintly of some kind of exotic flower - a perfume that intoxicated him.

"Mmm, you smell nice," he murmured into her hair. "What is that fragrance?"

"Jasmine."

"I like it," he said, one of his hands reaching to pull down the sleeve of her robe.

Layla let out a small gasp as he kissed her bared shoulder. "What are you doing?"

He wasn't even sure himself, to be honest. Though he had always found Layla attractive, when they were partnered together at Kaleido Stage, he had decided it best not to pursue her. She was an important part of his plan to get revenge on Kalos; if things soured between them, it would put the entire plot in jeopardy. Yet even with that warning echoing in the back of his mind, Yuri's mouth found Layla's once again.

For just one night, he wanted to forget everything. Kaleido Stage, his father, Kalos, Sophie, Leon… He just wanted to feel good for a little while. Was that too much to ask?

Yuri deepened the kiss, pulling Layla even closer against him. She was resistant at first, but soon she was kissing him back with equal force, running her hands through his hair. Yuri slipped his hand inside her robe and cupped her breast, causing Layla to let out a soft moan.

"Wanna do it?" he asked her breathlessly.

She nodded and kissed him again, the two of them fumbling to Yuri's bedroom. Once there, Yuri untied the belt of her robe and slipped it off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor at her feet. She wasn't wearing anything underneath. Yuri sucked in a breath at the sight, taking in her full round breasts and legs that went on for miles. While Layla situated herself on the bed, he stripped off his pants and underwear and grabbed a condom from the bedside table.

He then joined her on the bed, positioning himself between her spread legs. In his impaired state, Yuri wasn't sure how long he would last, so he skipped the foreplay and went straight for the main event.

Layla winced as he entered her. "Ow, Yuri, that hurts!" she said. "Be more gentle."

It occurred to him that Layla was probably a virgin. In the entire time since Yuri had met her, he had never once known her to have a boyfriend or even to go out on a date. Her training came first and foremost, to the exclusion of almost everything else. At another time, he would have taken things slow, as he had done with Sophie, but Yuri couldn't bring himself to care much about Layla's pleasure. He continued plowing into her until he had reached his climax.

With a grunt, he came and rolled off of her, feeling no better than he had before. In fact, he felt worse, instantly regretting what they had done. Sex and booze may have allowed him forget what had happened earlier, but the effect was only temporary. Yuri brushed off Layla's attempt to reach for him and got up to throw away his used condom.

When he returned back to bed, he crawled underneath the covers and rolled over on his side, his back turned to Layla. "You can go back to your room if you want," he told her in a low voice. "You don't have to stay."

The mattress shifted, but rather than leaving, Layla joined him underneath the blankets and spooned against his back. She didn't say a word as a sob shook through his body, simply holding him close.

DISCLAIMER: _Kaleido Star _doesn't belong to me.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: The legal drinking age in France is eighteen. Officially, I believe Layla is supposed to be eighteen in canon, which would make her about fifteen during the period this story is set, but I always thought that was kind of ridiculous. Come on, Layla looks more than just two years older than Sora! I'm just not buying that. So in my head canon, Layla is twenty-one during the show and eighteen in this story. Sophie was eighteen as well at the time of her death, and Leon is in his (very) early twenties. Yuri is either nineteen or twenty in this story.


	5. Chapter Five The Morning After

Chapter Five: The Morning After

Yuri awoke the next morning with the worst headache of his life. It felt like a hundred tiny drummers were simultaneously pounding on his skull. It hurt even to open his eyes, the morning sun filtering in through the blinds of the window almost blinding. He slowly rose to a sitting position and looked over at the other side of the bed.

Layla had stayed with him through the entire night. She was still asleep, curled up on her side, her long hair splayed over the pillows in golden waves. Yuri didn't want to wake her, so he pushed the blankets aside and quietly started to climb out of bed.

His plan was foiled, however, by the sound of the alarm clock going off, causing Yuri to let out a string of profanities as he covered his ears. "Who the hell set that thing?" he asked as Layla woke up and rolled over to shut off the alarm. He certainly hadn't.

"Sorry, I did," she apologized. "I didn't want to oversleep."

"It's fine." Groaning, Yuri sat back down on the bed and began rubbing at his throbbing temple.

"Hangover?"

"The worst."

"That's to be expected, the way you were knocking them back last night," she said. Layla, on the other hand, seemed to be free of any of the unpleasant aftereffects of drinking.

"Yeah." Yuri let out another groan and laid back down. He wasn't quite ready to face the world just yet. "You stayed," he said in a soft voice, turning on his side to look at Layla. "You didn't have to do that."

She reached over and brushed back a strand of his hair. "I didn't think you should be alone last night."

He grimaced. "Layla, about that, I'm so-"

Shaking her head, Layla brought a finger to his lips. "You don't need to apologize, Yuri. You didn't make me do anything I didn't want to do."

"That was your first time, wasn't it?" he asked. She nodded, confirming his suspicions from earlier. He rolled over on his back and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Damn it, you really deserved better."

"It was…fine."

Yuri scoffed, knowing better than that. "You don't need to lie to make me feel better."

"Okay, if you want the truth, it sucked," Layla said, sitting up and crossing her arms over her chest. "Big time."

He chuckled and sat up as well. "You never were one to pull punches, were you?"

Sighing, Yuri reached up and stroked the side of Layla's face. She looked lovely even first thing in the morning, like some kind of beautiful angel from heaven. An angel… That's what she was, to have forgiven him for being so selfish the night before. She had stayed with him through one of his darkest hours, offering him comfort that he hardly deserved. He appreciated it more than words could ever express.

Still, he hated that he had ruined what should have been a special moment for her.

"Let me make it up to you, Layla," he said, brushing his lips against hers and lifting up the blankets to rejoin her underneath them.

"Yuri…"

"Please."

Yuri gently pressed Layla back down to the bed, situating himself between her legs. Layla's eyes went wide, but she didn't protest when he kissed her once again, her lips parting to allow him entrance. She let out a soft moan as his mouth traveled southward, down her slender neck and collarbone until he reached the valley between her breasts.

He turned his attention to the left one first, swirling his tongue over her areola a couple of times before flicking it across her nipple. For the other breast, he lightly used his thumb to trace circles around the nipple and felt it harden under his touch. Yuri took the erect nipple into his mouth, causing Layla to suck in a breath. She moaned, begging for more.

His mouth traveled even further south, leaving a trail of wet kisses as Yuri moved down her flat abdomen to his final destination. Layla let out an audible gasp when his tongue slipped inside her, her legs spreading further apart in invitation. Her breathing became fast and shallow just before she hit her peak, upon which she shouted out his name.

Once her orgasm subsided, Yuri pulled himself back up. He had only intended to focus on Layla's pleasure to make up for the night before, but he had inadvertently become aroused as well. He silently cursed his lack of control as he looked down at a flushed Layla, who was still struggling to catch her breath.

"What's…wrong…?" she asked between gasps. "Why are you…stopping?"

"Do you want me to continue?"

In response to his question, Layla rolled him over on his back and straddled him, kissing him with a passion he had until then only felt from her on the stage. Yuri was taken aback by her sudden aggressiveness, but pleased with the turn of events, he had no reason to complain.

"Wait," he said, breaking apart momentarily to grab a condom from his stash.

They then resumed where they had left off. Whereas the previous night had brought Layla nothing but pain, she responded much more positively the second time around, moaning and sighing with almost every touch Yuri gave her. Yuri enjoyed himself more as well, taking as much pleasure in Layla's reactions as he did in the act itself.

They were right in the middle of things when his cell phone on the bedside table started to ring, causing Yuri to swear aloud, breaking the mood. Sex had managed to make him mostly forget about his headache, but the ringing made it return with a vengeance. Though he would have rather ignored it in favor of Layla, he wanted the ringing to end, so he crawled back over to his side of the bed and answered. "Hello?"

"Yuri, good, you're already up," their manager Jared said. "I just wanted to remind you that we're leaving for the airport in a couple of hours. Make sure you're packed and ready to go by noon."

"Noon? Yeah, sure thing."

"Will you pass the message along to Layla as well? I tried calling her cell earlier, but she didn't answer. I guess she's still asleep."

"Consider it done." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Layla sitting back up and pulling on her robe. "Hey, wait -" he sputtered, forgetting for the moment that he was on the phone. He turned his attention back to the manager. "Thanks for calling. See you later," Yuri said before quickly ending the call and turning to Layla, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, her back turned to him. "Is something wrong? Why are you getting dressed?"

"That was Jared, wasn't it?" she asked, avoiding his questions.

"Yeah. He wanted to remind us that check-out is at noon."

"Then we should start getting ready to leave. I still need to pack." She tied the belt of her robe, still not turning to face him.

Yuri glanced over at the alarm clock. It was only about 9:30. "We still have some time to spare," he pointed out. "Come back to bed, and let's -"

"Let's forget about last night," Layla declared in a low voice, interrupting him mid-sentence.

He crawled up behind her and tugged down her sleeve so he could kiss her shoulder. "I'm all for that," he said, feeling the same. If there was ever a day he wanted to erase from existence, yesterday was it.

"No, stop it." Layla pulled the sleeve back up and rose to her feet, finally turning to look at him. "I mean, I don't think we should continue this… Whatever this is."

"I don't understand." She had seemed pretty into it just minutes before. "Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you again?" he asked, noticing Layla wiping away what appeared to be a tear from her cheek.

She shook her head. "No, it's not that. You were great. It's just… I don't think this is such a good idea, Yuri. I got caught up in the moment, but I don't want to be a replacement for Sophie."

Yuri climbed out of bed and placed his hands on Layla's arms. "Sophie? Listen, Layla, you've got it all wrong. Sophie - she didn't…"

He had been about to say that Sophie hadn't meant anything to him - at least, not in the way she thought - but the last thing he wanted was for Layla to learn about the role he had played in Sophie's accident.

"Besides, I have no time for a boyfriend," she continued, composing herself. "I have to remain focused on my career and Kaleido Stage. Dating would just be a distraction, so let's go back to being partners only on stage, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, she headed to the door. "I'm sorry, Yuri."

As soon as the door closed behind her, Yuri turned and punched the pillow in frustration. He had made a complete and utter mess out of things. Things were bound to be awkward between him and Layla now, and if problems arose because of it, Yuri knew Kalos would favor Layla. If she said the word, Kalos would fire him in a heartbeat, ruining any chance of getting his revenge. That's why he had made it a rule not to sleep with Layla in the first place.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" he swore, still punching the pillow. "I'm a freakin' idiot."

And he was still aroused, too. Without even thinking about it, Yuri pulled out the pair of Sophie's panties he had kept, inhaling her scent while he jerked off. It wasn't until he had finished that he realized what he had done.

"I'm the absolute lowest," he said, staring down at his sticky hand.

Yuri tossed the panties in the wastebasket, then fell back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. For a long time, he just lay there until he managed to find the will to take a shower and finish packing. At about five minutes to noon, he headed out to the common room. Layla exited her bedroom at the same time. The two of them stared at each other awkwardly until Layla broke the ice.

"Are you ready to go?" Her voice was cool and professional.

"Yeah. You?"

She nodded and picked up her large suitcase. "Well, let's get going then. Jared is probably waiting for us downstairs."

Out of habit, he stepped forward and reached for Layla's suitcase. "Here, I'll take that," he offered.

She hesitated, but let him have it. "T-Thanks."

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later, Jared had finished checking them out, and the three of them hailed a cab to the airport, Jared taking the seat in between Layla and Yuri. Seemingly unaware of the somber atmosphere surrounding them, Jared gushed about their performance at the festival and how pleased Kalos would be that they had won.<p>

Yuri tuned out his voice by pulling out his iPod and turning up the volume, his head resting up against the window pane. It had unexpectedly begun to rain, the overcast skies covering the usually vibrant city in shades of dreary gray - not that Yuri could see much through the downpour anyway. Still, he was doing his best not to look over at Layla, and he sensed she was probably doing the same.

When they passed by the arena where the competition had been held, Yuri noticed a small group of people - mostly dressed in black - had gathered outside the entrance. The taxi stopped at a red light, giving Yuri the chance to see what was going on. From what he could tell from behind the rain-streaked window, they were leaving bouquets of flowers along the wall of the arena - a public memorial for Sophie Oswald, whose framed enlarged photo he saw sitting on an easel outside the front door, protected from the rain by the covered walkway.

Without thinking, Yuri tossed aside his iPod, unbuckled his seatbelt, and jumped out of the cab. He heard Jared asking where he was going before shutting the door, but he ignored the question, pulling his trench coat over his head and sprinting over to the arena.

By the time he got there, the group had thinned as the mourners decided to go home and get out of the cold and rain. Even the girl who was selling flowers had begun to shut down her cart.

"Wait!" Yuri called out to her in French, running over to her. "How much are those lilies?" he asked.

"They're free, _Monsieur_," the girl replied. "The organizers of the International Circus Festival bought out my entire inventory for the day and asked me to hand them out to anybody who came by."

"I'll take a dozen, then."

"A dozen? Okay, I'll wrap those up for you." The girl began gathering up the requested flowers. "You look familiar," she commented as she wrapped a piece of cellophane around the bouquet. "Aren't you Yuri Killian, who won the trapeze competition with Layla Hamilton?"

"Yes, I am," Yuri said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat and glancing away. The last thing he felt like doing at the moment was dealing with some star-struck fan.

"It's nice of you to come pay your respects to Mademoiselle Oswald. Some of the other competitors came by earlier, but not many. Were you close?"

"Something like that… I suppose."

"I'm so sorry for your loss. She seemed like such a wonderful person. I saw her and her brother perform a few times before, and she always had this incredible smile on her face, even when she made mistakes. You could tell that she truly loved to perform and make people happy. It's such a shame she died so young."

"Are you finished with that yet?" Yuri asked, not wanting to hear anymore about Sophie. "I'm kind of in a hurry."

"Oh, right. Just one more thing." The girl finished preparing the bouquet by tying a black ribbon around the stems of the flowers and handed it to Yuri. "Here you go. Would you like a placard to write a message on?"

"No, this is fine. _Merci_."

Yuri took the bouquet and headed toward the spot where Sophie's picture was displayed. The last of the mourners had left, leaving him by himself to say a private good-bye. Taking in a deep breath, he stood in front of the photograph and tried to think of something to say.

But what could he say? "I'm sorry"? Those words seemed so hollow and insignificant in light of what he had done to her.

"This is stupid," he muttered, the hand holding the bouquet dropping to his side. "You don't want my flowers or my apologies, do you? I don't know why I even came here. This was a waste of time."

Yet when he walked over to a nearby trash can, Yuri couldn't bring himself to throw the flowers away. He once again went over to the photograph and placed the lilies on top of the small stack in front of it.

"I am sorry, though," he said in a soft voice. "I never meant for this to happen. I know that's no consolation, but it's true. I just didn't want you and Leon to compete. I was afraid if you did…" Yuri shook his head. "No, there's no excuse. I used you for my own selfish goals."

"I'm not a good person, Sophie," he continued after a short pause. "I'm filled with hate and consumed by thoughts of revenge for my father's death. I could lie and tell you that what happened to you has caused me to turn over a new leaf and become a better person, but it probably hasn't. I still plan to get my revenge on Kalos, and if that means I have to hurt more people along the way…" He clenched his hands into fists at his side. "Well, I will just have to learn to live with the guilt.

"But I am sorry I hurt you…and Layla. Neither of you deserved to be treated like that. If I could take it all back, I would, but that's not possible, is it? Layla can say we should just forget about last night all she likes, but we both know we never will." Yuri let out a sigh and ran a hand through his damp hair, thinking about Layla. "Maybe she's wrong, you know? Maybe we shouldn't try to forget about what happened. They say that everything happens for a reason. I'm not sure that I believe that, but what if it's true? What if -"

Yuri shook his head, realizing at that point he was rambling. He didn't even know what he was saying anymore. "Anyway, I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, Sophie," he said, "but you truly did have the heart of an angel, and I'm sorry you and Leon never had the chance to perfect the Angel's Maneuver. I would have liked to have seen it. You may have even been able to awaken my Angel Heart, if such a thing exists. I guess we'll never know now…"

Unable to think of anything else to say, Yuri turned to head back to the cab, startled when he saw a blonde-haired woman standing about a hundred feet away from him underneath an umbrella. "Layla?"

"Have you finished saying your good-bye?" she asked, walking over to join him and pulling out a handkerchief from the pocket of her coat. "Look at you, Yuri, you're soaked." She used the handkerchief to wipe his wet face. "If you wanted to visit Sophie's memorial, you could have just asked. You didn't have to jump out of the taxi like that. For a moment, I thought you might -"

"What?" he prodded when she stopped mid-sentence.

"Nothing. It's not important now," Layla replied, averting her gaze from his.

"Sorry, I just… How long have you been waiting here?"

"Not very long. Even though I told him it would likely be delayed due to this weather, Jared was worried we would miss our flight, so I offered to go find you. The taxi is waiting for us in the parking lot."

"So you didn't hear anything?"

"I'm not one to eavesdrop. You know that."

"Right," he said, letting out a sigh of relief. He had no idea what he would have done if she had heard anything she shouldn't. "Well, I'm done here, so I guess we should head back to the cab. Let's go."

"Wait." As he started to walk away, Layla reached for his arm. "Yuri, are you going to be okay?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I just have this feeling there is something you're keeping from me."

"I don't have to tell you everything," Yuri said somewhat bitterly. "I'm not your boyfriend. You made it perfectly clear this morning that you just wanted us to be partners on stage."

"That doesn't mean I can't worry about you. We're still friends, right?"

He scoffed. "Friends? You don't want me as a friend, Layla. I'll only let you down again. I guarantee it."

"I don't care. You're one of the few people I can actually call a friend, and I don't want that to change."

"But it has." Yuri turned back around to face Layla directly. "We can't forget what happened here, pretend that it never happened. It's impossible. We'll always remember."

"Perhaps that's true, but -"

"Stop it. Stop giving me these mixed signals, okay? If you want our relationship to remain on a professional level, fine. I can deal with that. If you want to date, I'm open to that idea, too, although I'm telling you right now that things probably won't end well between us. But friendship… I don't want to be your friend, Layla," Yuri said, a slight ache in his chest when he saw the hurt in her eyes at his words.

"I…see."

She started walking toward the parking lot.

"Layla, wait," he called out. It seemed he had made things even worse between them, instead of better.

She continued walking without taking even a glance behind her.

"Layla!"

Yuri jogged to catch up to her and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her.

"Let go of me, Yuri," she said. "There's nothing more for us to say to each other."

He released his hold on her and followed Layla silently back to the cab, not even caring when he got drenched again by the rain.

DISCLAIMER: _Kaleido Star _doesn't belong to me.


	6. Chapter Six Taken For A Ride

Chapter Six: Taken For A Ride

As Layla had suspected, their flight was delayed due to weather concerns, but fortunately only by an hour, so they didn't have to wait long.

Yuri had never been so happy to board an airplane in his life. He couldn't think of a worse trip and wanted nothing more than to just go home. Fortunately, Layla had been assigned the seat in front of him, avoiding the awkwardness of sitting side-by-side on the long transatlantic flight back to California.

Instead, his neighbor was a pretty Frenchwoman in her early twenties who kept trying to hit on him. Yuri half-heartedly flirted back with her for a while, but she eventually lost interest, turning her attention to the in-flight movie. As he had already seen the movie on his trip to Paris, Yuri asked a passing flight attendant for a newspaper to read instead.

He regretted it almost immediately when he flipped to a page at random and saw Sophie's obituary, accompanied by a picture of her and Leon at one of their performances. Yuri tossed the paper aside and swore so loudly that even his seatmate, who was wearing headphones to listen to the movie, turned to stare at him.

"_Pardonnez-moi_," he said in a softer voice, reaching again for the scattered newspaper, which had fallen into the aisle.

Somebody else began helping him to gather up the paper. Yuri assumed it was the flight attendant and glanced up to thank her when their hands brushed together, only to find himself staring directly into Layla's blue eyes. He quickly averted his gaze from hers and muttered, "Thanks," before snatching the rest of the paper from her hands and handing it to the man sitting in the seat across the aisle from him, who asked if he could read it if Yuri was no longer interested.

Layla seemed like she wanted to say something, but at the last moment, she changed her mind, turning back around in her seat to face the front. Yuri did the same, his fingers digging into the arms of his seat as he stared straight ahead.

Apparently bored by the movie, the Frenchwoman took off her headphones and again turned her attention to Yuri. "Nervous flyer?"

"What?" he asked, startled.

"Your hands," she said. "You look like you're holding on for dear life."

Yuri loosened his grip. "No, I'm fine," he said. "Just anxious to get home, that's all."

"To your girlfriend?"

His eyes briefly flickered back to the seat in front of him, wondering if Layla was listening in. Not that mattered. "Don't have one."

"Really?" The woman reached over and placed her hand on his knee, slowly sliding it up his thigh. "A guy as good-looking as you?"

"I'm not exactly boyfriend material," Yuri said, sucking in a breath when she had reached his package and began rubbing him through the material of his pants.

She smiled, pleased by his reaction. "Perfect. I'm not exactly girlfriend material either." She abruptly pulled her hand away and stood up. "Excuse me, I'm going to freshen up some," she said, squeezing by him to get to the aisle. Before heading to the lavatory, she bent down and whispered seductively into his ear, "If you want to have some fun, no strings attached, knock on the door in two minutes. I'll be waiting."

Yuri watched her sashay to the back of the cabin. Though not initially interested in the woman's offer, the uncomfortable bulge in his pants had other ideas. Besides, some truly no strings attached "fun" seemed like a good way to get his mind off Sophie and Layla for a little while.

It sure as hell beat sitting around and doing nothing but thinking of them, in any case.

When he sensed that a couple of minutes had passed, Yuri slipped away and headed to the back, where he knocked on the door to the lavatory. It opened a few seconds later, the woman pulling him inside the tiny room. She locked the door behind him and immediately reached for the buckle of his belt to unfasten it.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist the thrill," she said as she unzipped his fly.

She had already unbuttoned her blouse before he had arrived, revealing the lacy black bra she wore underneath, and a matching black thong lay discarded in the sink.

The lavatory was barely large enough for the two of them, necessitating some creative maneuvering. Yuri pushed her up against the side wall, gripping her butt as she hooked her long legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips crushed against his, and she moaned into his mouth as he entered her.

"I don't even know your name," he realized.

"Does it matter?" she asked. "I'm whoever you want me to be, baby. Oh, yeah, a little harder…"

Save for grunts, moans, and the occasional gasp, that was the extent of their conversation. The sex was fast and frantic, physically satisfying but devoid of any real emotion, which suited Yuri just fine. He lost himself in the moment, his breathing becoming more shallow as he felt himself come closer to his peak.

She climaxed first, her orgasm sending Yuri over the edge. He shuddered in ecstasy, a word escaping from his lips which he immediately forgot.

"Wow…" the woman said after Yuri had let go of her, allowing her feet to once again touch the floor.

"Yeah."

Not knowing what else to say, Yuri turned around and pulled up his pants. In the mirror, he saw the woman buttoning up her blouse and tucking it back into her skirt.

"So, who's this Layla person?" she asked conversationally as she moved past him in the small space in order to reach her purse, which she had placed beside the sink.

Yuri froze. "Layla?"

"_Oui_." The woman pulled a brush out of her purse and began restyling her long dark hair into a low bun at the nape of her neck. "Just now, you called out her name. I thought she might be an ex-girlfriend or someone like that."

"Nobody," he lied. "She's nobody. You didn't tell me your name, so I chose one at random."

"Mmm." She didn't seem convinced.

"We should probably get back to our seats now," Yuri suggested, anxious to change the subject. "How do you want to do this? Do you want to leave first, or should I…?"

"You can go first if you'd like," she said with a dismissive wave. "I still need to freshen up."

Yuri decided to take her up on that offer, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic in the tight space. Without saying goodbye, he pushed open the door and ran right into the one person he didn't want to see.

"Layla."

The door swung close behind him, but not before Yuri was certain Layla had seen the woman standing inside. For what felt like an eternity, the two of them stood staring at each in silence until a flight attendant approached them.

"Excuse me, I need to get by," she said. "Is there a problem here?"

"No, no problem," Layla said as Yuri moved to let the woman pass through. "Sorry. We didn't mean to get in your way."

Yuri took Layla's temporary distraction as an opportunity to slip away, walking faster than necessary down the aisle to reach his seat. There, he gathered up his belongings and searched the cabin for Jared. He found their manager sitting by a window on the other side of the plane, about three rows behind his current seat.

"Trade places with me, Jared," Yuri ordered, walking over to him.

"Wha-? But I thought you didn't like sitting by the window, Yuri. You always say you like being able to move around freely on long flights."

"Never mind. Just let me have your seat."

"Okay, okay, if that's what you want," Jared said, stuffing the book he was reading back into his carry-on and squeezing by his seatmate, a businessman who appeared to be in his early-to-mid forties. "What was your seat number again?"

Yuri pointed it out to him and took Jared's vacated seat just before Layla passed by on her way back. She didn't seem to notice him, but she did pause a moment when she saw Jared sitting in the seat behind her. The two of them exchanged a few words before Layla sat back down.

Yuri exhaled, his body relaxing once he realized that Layla had no intention of confronting him about what she had just seen - not that it was any of her business. They weren't dating; he was free to screw any girl he wanted. In fact, why had he asked Jared to trade places anyway? He hated window seats.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered to himself, irritated that he had let Layla get to him. He had reacted like a guilty boyfriend, caught in the act with another woman.

As the businessman seemed to have no interest in striking up a conversation with him, Yuri asked the flight attendant from earlier for a pair of headphones and settled in to rewatch the in-flight flick, pushing all thoughts of Layla and Sophie out of his mind as best he could for the rest of the trip.

* * *

><p>It was late at night when they finally landed at Cape Mary's airport. Yuri intended to just pick up his things from baggage claim and leave, hoping to avoid any more awkward encounters, but as he was waiting at the carousel for his bags to come around, Jared and Layla walked over, the manager grabbing a red suitcase that passed by.<p>

"Long flight, huh?" Jared commented, making conversation with Yuri. "Paris was great, but it feels nice to finally be home."

"I suppose," Yuri said, risking a glance over at Layla, who had wordlessly taken the spot on the other side of him.

He might as well have been invisible for all the attention she gave him.

Yuri let out a heavy sigh. Things couldn't go on like this if they were going to continue to work together at Kaleido Stage. Somehow, he had to find a way to patch up his relationship with Layla, or else his plans for revenge against Kalos would be ruined.

But more than that, he realized he truly regretted what he had said to her at Sophie's memorial. Somewhere along the way, Layla _had _become his friend, possibly even more. He wasn't quite sure when it had happened, and it was probably a bad idea - Yuri had not been joking when he told her that he would only let her down again - yet he wasn't ready to let her go. He needed her, both for his plans and for himself.

Squaring back his shoulders, Yuri turned toward her and reached for her arm. "Look, Layla, I know you're mad at me, but we really need to talk. Let me drive you home and -"

"Jared, you're taking a taxi, aren't you?" Layla asked, purposely ignoring him. "Mind if I share with you? I believe your place is on the way to mine."

"S-Sure, I don't mind," he said, obviously surprised, since she usually caught a ride with Yuri. "What about you, Yuri? Do you need a lift?"

"I'm fine. I have my car," Yuri said, yanking his final piece of luggage from the carousel with more force than necessary. "That's everything, so if there's nothing else, I'm heading home."

"Wait, I have a message from Kalos." Jared pulled out his PDA. "You both have a meeting with him tomorrow morning at eight. He wants to talk about the Festival and discuss the preparations for the next show."

"Fine, whatever." If Layla had anything to say about it, though, Yuri doubted he would have a role in the next show. He probably wouldn't even have a job. "See you."

Yuri turned and began heading toward the exit to the parking lot, hurrying through the crowd of travelers without paying much attention to where he was going. In his rush to leave, he managed to crash into a woman speaking rather vulgar French on her cell, knocking the phone right out of her hands.

"You idiot!" the woman shrieked, still speaking in French. "Watch where you're going!"

"**S**orry," he said, stopping to pick up her dropped cell and handing it back to her.

It was then that Yuri realized she was the woman who he had screwed on the plane.

The woman recognized him as well, the furious look on her face softening. "Oh, it's you," she said. "Pardon me, I didn't mean to go off on you like that. You just caught me at a bad moment." After quickly ending her call, she placed the phone back in her purse and shot him a flirtatious smile. "I was beginning to wonder if I had imagined our fun little encounter in the lavatory. Where did you disappear to? When I returned, somebody else had taken your place."

"My co-worker begged me to switch seats with him. I couldn't refuse."

"So you _weren't_ trying to avoid me?"

Instead of answering, Yuri asked, "Who was that on the phone? You sounded…upset." To put it politely.

"Oh, my friend. He was supposed to pick me up and take me to the hotel where we're staying, but 'something came up' at the last second and he won't be able to make it here until tomorrow evening." She pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. "He always, always does this! I know he's busy, but I came all this way just to see him. He could at least try to make an effort."

"So you don't have a ride?"

"I'll hail a cab, I suppose."

"I can drive you to your hotel, if you'd like," he offered on reflex. "My car's in the parking lot."

"You don't mind?"

Yuri grabbed her suitcase. "Follow me," he said, leading her out to his red Ferrari.

She let out a low whistle as he held open the passenger side door for her. "Nice car," she commented.

"Thanks." After sliding into the driver's seat, he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. "Which hotel are you staying at?" he asked once they were on the highway.

She pulled a piece of paper out of her purse to check her lodging information. "The Hamilton Hotel. Do you know it?"

He rubbed at his temple. Of course it would be the hotel owned by Layla's father. "Yes, I've been there a few times before. It's very nice."

The Hamilton Hotel was located in close proximity to the airport, so it didn't take long to drive her there. Yuri pulled up in front of the luxury hotel and put the car in neutral. "Well, here you are. This is it."

"So it is." Instead of getting out, however, the woman reached over and removed his hand from the stick-shift, placing it in between her thighs.

Yuri cocked an eyebrow. "Don't you have a boyfriend?" he asked, pulling his hand away.

She sighed. "Technically, yes, but it's like I told you on the plane - I'm not really girlfriend material," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Besides, I'm pissed at him for blowing me off after I flew all this way just to see him." She glanced over at Yuri. "Is this the part where you tell me that it's not right to cheat on my lover, no matter how much he ignores me?"

"No, I have no room to judge. I'm no saint myself." Yuri sat back in the driver's seat and exhaled. "The guy sounds like a jerk, anyway."

"He really is," she agreed. "I should have broken up with him a long time ago."

"Why didn't you?"

She shrugged. "He's good in the sack, and he buys me pretty things. I guess you could say I'm addicted. He's bad for me, yet I can't help coming back for more. In any case…" The woman unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over, positioning her mouth right next to his ear. "Want to come up to my room?" she asked in a low, seductive voice, her hand traveling down his chest. "I'll give you a proper thank you if you do..."

Yuri would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted. It would be easy to take her to bed, using her to forget his troubles as she used him to get back at her negligent boyfriend. Neither had any delusions of things becoming anything more than what they were - a mutually beneficial situation - yet glancing over at the signpost in front of the hotel, he found himself pulling away from her touch.

"I…probably shouldn't," he said.

"Oh." The woman moved back to her seat. "I guess you're right." She reached for the door handle and pulled it back, stepping out of the car. "I do want to thank you for dropping me off, though," she said as Yuri handed her the suitcase from the backseat. "You're a life-saver."

Yuri let out a bitter chuckle. "At least I managed to save one life this weekend."

"Pardon?"

He shook his head and groaned. "Never mind. Just a private joke - and not a very good one at that."

"I never could quite understand American humor. Anyway, good night, and thanks again for the ride. I really appreciate it."

"Yeah. Good night."

Once the woman shut the passenger-side door and entered the hotel's lobby, Yuri took off, though in the opposite direction of his apartment building.

So late at night, there were very few cars still on the road. Yuri took advantage of the sparse streets, pressing down on the gas and increasing his speed. He pushed down on the button that rolled down the windows, inhaling the salty scent of the sea breeze as the harsh wind hit his skin and tugged at his hair.

_I wonder if Layla's made it home yet, _he thought, realizing that he was driving in the direction of the Hamilton estate.

Even if she was home, he doubted he would be very welcomed. Running a hand through his wind-swept hair, Yuri swore. Everything was such a mess, and he had only himself to blame. If only he hadn't felt so threatened by Leon's talent… If only he hadn't seduced Sophie and tricked her into leaving the arena… If only he hadn't gotten drunk and taken advantage of Layla's kindness toward him… If only he hadn't said what he said…

If only, if only, if only!

"No, it's that bastard's fault," Yuri said, tightening his grip on the steering wheel as he drove by Kaleido Stage. "_He's_ the one who made me this way, who turned Yuri Brass into Yuri Killian. If only Dad was still alive…" He swiped a hand across his burning eyes, brushing away the drops of moisture that leaked from them. "Dammit!"

He shifted gears and sped up even more, increasing to more than thirty miles over the posted speed limit. Kaleido Stage soon became just a speck in his rearview mirror. Sighing, Yuri turned his attention back to the road in front of him and immediately stomped on the brakes when something darted out into the streets without warning.

"Sophie!"

The car swerved out of control, unable to brake so abruptly at such a high velocity. Yuri snapped out of his panic just in time to prevent the vehicle from careening into the guardrail on the side of the road. Fortunately, there had been no other cars on the road.

His racing heartbeat pounded in his ears as the car finally skid to a stop, having executed an almost one-eighty turn from his previous position. The headlights shone down on the street in front of him, illuminating the thing that had caused Yuri to brake so suddenly.

It was a cat - a beautiful Siamese with light blue eyes. Upon seeing the speeding car coming toward her, her fear had paralyzed her, freezing her in place, but once she realized the danger had passed, the cat quickly turned tail and ran back to the side of the road from where she came, disappearing into the darkness.

Yuri exhaled, relieved that it had not been a person, then began to laugh, though there was little joyful about the sound.

"Oh, God, I must be losing my mind," he muttered, resting his forehead against the steering wheel. "Of course it wasn't Sophie. Sophie is dead. I killed her."

He couldn't even place the blame Kalos, as much as he wanted to. He had screwed up all on his own.

What the hell was he doing with his life?

Maybe it wouldn't be such a terrible thing if Layla got him fired from Kaleido Stage. Yuri still wanted his revenge, but not like this. He glanced back up at the rearview mirror, barely recognizing the haunted man that stared back at him in his reflection. He had become "Yuri Killian" in more than just name, hiding Yuri Brass so deep inside of him, he wondered if that part of him still existed.

Noticing the headlights of an oncoming truck behind him, Yuri restarted the car and took off toward his apartment, deciding not to see Layla after all. When she made up her mind about something, there was little anybody could say or do to make her change her decision, anyway.

Though Yuri never believed in such concepts as "destiny" or "fate", this one time, he would leave his future in her hands.

DISCLAIMER: _Kaleido Star _doesn't belong to me.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry it's taken so long to get this out. I got hit with inspiration for the second part of this chapter just before I was planning to post the last chapter, and with Thanksgiving and all, it took more time than I expected to write. Anyway, the next chapter will be the final one, and I plan to have it posted sometime next week, so I hope you look forward to it!


	7. Chapter Seven Hate And Love

Chapter Seven: Hate And Love

_Wet kisses. Tender caresses. Lustful sighs._

_ Yuri stared up at the woman writhing on top of him, taking in her full round breasts, her long blonde hair, and her exquisite face, which reacted to his every touch as if she was on the verge of dying of ecstasy. Her pale skin had a slight pink tint to it, flushed from arousal, which gave her an attractive, almost otherworldly, glow._

_ He had never seen her look more beautiful, stripped of her stylish clothes and carefully applied cosmetics. She was one of those rare natural beauties who tended to incite rabid jealousy in women and burning desire in men. A moan escaped her lips when Yuri reached up to squeeze one of her breasts, and she arched her back, giving him a better view._

_ Yuri could feel himself growing close to release, but he wasn't ready to come just yet. Grabbing her by the wrists, he rolled her over on her back and took the dominant position. He brushed his mouth against hers and closed his eyes, allowing his other senses to take over as he trailed kisses down her neck._

_ "You smell like jasmine," he murmured, catching a whiff of her shampoo. _

_ He continued his downward journey until he reached the swell of her breasts. His lips found an erect nipple and took it into his mouth, flicking his tongue against the tip. She whimpered in need, her fingers tugging at his hair._

_ "Please, Yuri," she said in a French accent that caused Yuri to stop what he was doing and lift himself off of her._

_ He opened his eyes to find the golden-haired woman gone, replaced instead by an angelic-looking girl, who stared up at him with pale gray eyes._

_ "What's wrong?" she asked, sensing his confusion. She sat up on her knees and caressed his cheek. "Why did you stop, Yuri?"_

_ Yuri shook his head, telling himself that he must have imagined the other woman, and smiled. "It's nothing," he said, and kissed the inside of her wrist. "Now, where did we leave off?"_

_ He cupped her head in between his hands and kissed her again, full on the mouth. Her lips were coated in a cherry lip gloss, the sweet taste lingering on his tongue as her mouth parted and allowed him entrance. Yuri deepened the kiss, and his hands slid down to wrap around her slender neck._

_ Then he was pushing her back down on the bed, his fingers crushing against her windpipe. She gasped, yet made no attempt to fight him off, instead reaching up to wipe away the tear that ran down Yuri's face. He wanted to stop, but his hands refused to obey the commands his brain was telling them. No matter how hard he struggled to release his hold on her, his grip seemed to tighten even more, cutting off her airways until finally her nude body went limp underneath him like a rag doll._

_ "No!" Upon regaining control of his hands, Yuri began shaking her by the shoulders, although he already knew on some level that she was dead. "Sophie, breathe!" he shouted, his eyes burning from the tears that leaked from them. "Stay with me! You have to breathe. Please, just breathe…please."_

_ "It's too late," another voice said. "She's already gone."_

_ Yuri swiped his arm over his eyes and turned his attention to the direction from which the voice came. On the right side of the bed stood Kalos Eido, who began to slowly clap his hands together in applause. Yuri glared at his boss and reached for a pillow to cover himself._

_ "What are you doing here? Get the hell out of my room!" he yelled. "Does this look like a Kaleido Stage show to you?"_

_ "No, but it was quite the amazing performance, I must say," Kalos said. "Your finest yet, in fact. I always sensed that you and I were the same, willing to do whatever needed to be done in order to achieve our goals."_

_ "I'm nothing like you! It was an accident, out of my control… I never wanted this to happen."_

_ "Yet you still used her." There was another voice in the room - a masculine one that spoke with a French accent. "You didn't care what happened to Sophie as long as you got what you wanted in the end. Isn't that right, Killian?"_

_ Yuri turned to the left. Leon Oswald stripped off his long black overcoat and walked over to the bed, wrapping the coat around Sophie's naked body before lifting her in his arms. Sophie had spoken of Leon's kindness, but for the first time, Yuri witnessed it in action, in the tender way he cradled her and the brotherly kiss he placed upon her forehead. Leon's shoulders shook, and though it was difficult to see through the curtain of platinum hair that had fallen over his face, Yuri knew Leon was sobbing._

_ "Leon, I-I -"_

_ He wasn't listening, too lost in his grief to care about anything Yuri had to say. Before Yuri could even stutter out an apology, Leon carried Sophie's body out of the room, Kalos following after them. _

_ Yuri sat on the edge of the mattress, staring down at his hands. _I killed her, _he thought, clenching his fingers into fists. _Sophie's dead because of me. It's all my fault.

_ "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"_

"I'm sorry!"

Yuri's eyes shot open, darting around the room until he realized that he was back in his apartment in Cape Mary, not the hotel room in Paris. Sitting up, he sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. It had only been a dream.

He barely remembered returning home the night before. Exhausted from the long flight, he had crashed the moment he arrived at the apartment. He glanced over at his alarm clock, mildly surprised to see that it was already close to nine. Normally, he woke up much earlier, since Layla preferred starting practice first thing in the morning.

Yuri groaned and fell back against the pillows, flashing back to the beginning of the dream. Not that any of that it mattered anymore. Once Layla spoke to Kalos, he would more than likely be out of a job, and his dreams of revenge would die before they could come to fruition.

Strangely, he wasn't as upset as he thought he would be. Yuri hated the idea of Kalos getting away with what he had done to his father, free to encourage other performers in the future to put their lives on the line for little more than a publicity stunt, but there had to be more to life than the pursuit of vengeance. His mother would be happy; she had never wanted him to join Kaleido Stage in the first place, afraid he would suffer the same fate as her husband. Maybe he would even go back to school. As a child, before his father's death, he had shown some talent in oil painting. He could go to art school, or perhaps pursue a business degree. And then, maybe after a few years, he could apologize to Layla for the way he had treated her and ask her for a second chance…

Over on the nightstand, his cell phone began to buzz, distracting him from his thoughts. Yuri rolled over and reached for phone, checking the display. It was Jared. "Yeah?" he answered.

"Yuri, where are you?" Jared asked.

"My apartment." Yuri let out a yawn. "I just woke up. Why?"

"Did you forget that Kalos wanted to see you and Layla first thing? I told you last night at the airport. They've been waiting for you since eight. You better get down here as fast as you can. Even if you did just win the Festival, you know the boss hates to be kept waiting."

"Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming." He climbed out of bed and began changing clothes. "I'll be there in ten."

Ending the call, Yuri let out a swear and threw the phone on the bed. What a pain. If Kalos was going to fire him, he ought to just tell him over the phone. The last place he felt like visiting today was Kaleido Stage, especially if it meant having to face Layla again. Still, he got dressed and drove over.

On his way to Kalos' office, several people stopped him to congratulate him on his and Layla's victory, including Jean Benigni, the set manager, who ran into him outside the main stage.

"Hey, Yuri, great job at the Festival," he said, shaking Yuri's hand. "I heard you and Layla blew the rest of the competition away."

"Thanks," Yuri said, wishing people would stop showering him with praise he didn't deserve. Glancing over Jean's shoulder, he noticed that there was a flurry of activity happening on the stage as the other stagehands worked on building some new sets. "Preparing for a new show?"

"Of course. It's set to be your gala performance, to celebrate your victory with Layla at the Festival. Kalos is really pulling out all the stops for this one."

Yuri's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yuri, there you are!" Jared called out before he could ask Jean what he was talking about. The manager jogged over. "Kalos and Layla are waiting for you, you know. You should get going."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize I was holding you up," Jean said. "Feel free to come by later if you can, though. I'd like your opinion on the set-up for the Golden Phoenix. I've made some improvements I think you and Layla will like."

"Yeah, sure," Yuri said, confused as he left Jean and Jared behind and continued on to Kalos' office.

When he arrived, he lightly knocked on the door and slipped inside. Kalos was sitting behind his desk as usual, while Layla, dressed in her work-out clothes, was on the couch, drinking a cup of coffee. The trophy they had won at the Festival sat on the coffee table in front of her. Yuri quickly looked away from it - and Layla - and turned his attention to Kalos.

"Yuri, good for you to finally join us this morning," he said.

"Sorry," Yuri apologized, clenching his hands at his side. "I overslept."

"Try not to make a habit of it. It's not a good example for a champion to set for the trainees." Kalos pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose and sat back in his chair. "I've already spoken with Layla about most of this, but again, I want to congratulate the both of you for winning the International Circus Festival. My threat to end your contracts if you lost was by no means idle, but I'm pleased you two managed to meet my expectations."

"Thank you, sir."

"Work has already begun on your gala performance," Kalos continued. "Our next show will be _Romeo & Juliet_, with the Golden Phoenix as the climax. This will be one of Kaleido Stage's biggest shows to date, so I expect you and Layla to put on a performance worthy of the champions you are. With you being the new Festival champions, this is a great opportunity to expand our audience numbers and put Kaleido Stage on the map."

_Of course money is the most important thing to him, _Yuri thought bitterly. _Big surprise. _But hadn't Layla asked Kalos to get rid of him? He glanced over at Layla, expecting her to raise some sort of rejection, but yet she remained sitting on the couch, sipping her coffeeas if it was just another business meeting.

"That's all I really wanted to say," Kalos said, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. "You may go."

Layla set her cup down on the coffee table and stood back up, speaking to Yuri for the first time since Paris. "Come on, Yuri. Let's begin practice."

Yuri silently followed her out of the office. Once the door had closed behind them, though, he reached for her wrist, stopping Layla in her tracks.

"Why?"

After a moment, Layla pivoted around to face him. "Because you're my partner," she said matter-of-factly. After a short pause, she added, "And my friend."

"But I treated you horribly in Paris," he said. "How can you still say that? Why don't you hate me?"

She cocked her head to the side. "You sound almost as if you _want _me to hate you."

"Maybe I do," he admitted, unaware he had spoken the thought aloud until Layla pressed her hand against his cheek.

"Look, Yuri, I may not know exactly what happened between you and Sophie in Paris, but I do know that you were hurting. I'm not going to hold anything you said to me against you, because I know it wasn't really you who said those things."

"But it was." Yuri pulled her hand down, away from his face. "Yuri Killian isn't who you think he is, Layla. He's a terrible person, who's willing to do anything in order to achieve his goals. He uses people, and hurts them without regard for their feelings. He's not someone you want as your partner."

"That should be up to me to decide, not you."

"But -"

She shook her head. "I don't care. You say I don't know the real Yuri Killian? Then let me get to know him. I _want _to know him."

"Layla…"

"Why are we still standing around, talking about this when we should be practicing for the next show?" she asked, turning back around. In a softer voice, she said, "What's done is done, Yuri. Maybe we won't be able to forget what happened in Paris, but we can move on from it. That's what I plan to do. I suggest you do the same."

Sighing, Yuri slumped back against the wall and watched her retreating figure as she continued on to the practice room without him. He should have been happy. Layla seemed willing to forgive him, and his revenge against Kalos was back on track, yet... He stared down at his hands.

He used to believe he would be willing to sacrifice anything - even his soul - if it meant avenging his father's death. His hatred of Kalos had fueled his every ambition, his every dream. Even now, it took all his willpower not to go back to Kalos' office and beat the bastard within an inch of his life.

But how much more blood would stain his hands before he was satisfied? If it came down to it, would he even be willing to hurt Layla if it meant he got his revenge? Would she become another Sophie, another innocent victim of his hate?

"Yuri, are we going to practice or not?" Layla asked, turning back around when she realized he wasn't following her.

"Coming."

Shaking his head to clear away his thoughts, Yuri stuffed his hands in his pockets and joined Layla on the way to the practice room.

The End

DISCLAIMER: _Kaleido Star _doesn't belong to me.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Heh, one of these days, I want to write a _happy _Yuri/Layla story. I love them together so much, but somehow they always end up getting the shaft in my fics… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story!


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